Carrying case



April 14, 1964 F. A. HOFFMAN ETAL CARRYING CASE Filed Dec. 12, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. 6 FRn/v/rH HoFFMRu,

f wnnpn. FHRR Imp- MELVIN L. BUCHHNFIN HTTOR EYS.

April 14, 1964 F. A. HOFFMAN ETAL 3,

CARRYING CASE Filed Dec. 12, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 w ll M Q WM \E'PL W 38 54 K6 H-r oRNEvs.

April 1964 F, A. HOFFMAN ETAL 3,128,855

CARRYING CASE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 12, 1960 INVENTORS. Fenmc H. HOFFMHN Ea wnzv H. Fnen AAA/ HND

N n a. N E H N H Mm B 0 L m N 5 I fi Q B United States Patent Ofifiee 3,128,855 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 3,128,855 CARRYTNG CASE Frank A. Haiiman, Edward A. Farr, and Melvin L.

Buchanan, Columbus, Ind, assignors to Arvin Industries, ind, Columbus, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Dec. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 75,213 6 Claims. ('Ji. 190-49) This invention relates to a carrying case, and has for its object the provision of a carrying case of attractive appearance which can be easily and economically manufactured largely from inexpensive sheet-metal and metal extrusions, which can be easily adjusted for use with a shoulder strap or a hand grip, which will prove sturdy and durable in use, and which can be easily opened for ready access to the contents held therein and releasably locked in closed position.

In carrying out our invention in its preferred form, we provide a pair of opposed sheet-metal shells, each of which has a peripherally extending molding mounted thereon and forming the border edge thereof. The two shells are hingedly interconnected along one of their sides, conveniently along their moldings, while the opposite sides of said shells are provided with a lock and keeper for locking said shells together in a closed position.

The peripheral moldings on the two shells define a strap-locating channel extending around the case in which an elongated carrying strap is carried, said strap having end portions and a handle portion intermediate said end portions. Means are provided for releasably locking the strap within said channel in a retracted position whereby said handle portion serves as a hand grip and an extended position in which said strap serves as a shoulder carrying strap for the case.

Other objects and features of our invention will become more apparent from the detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a carrying case embodying our invention, and showing its carrying strap in full lines in its hand grip position and in dotted lines in its shoulder strap position;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the carrying case shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the carrying case shown in FIG. 1, but showing only one end of its carrying strap in a hand grip-forming position;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the latch assembly shown in FIG. 1, but with portions thereof broken away;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the latch assembly shown in FIG. 7, but with portions thereof broken away and showing said assembly mounted on the case;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 99 of FIG. 1, but showing the carrying strap in its shoulder strap-forming position;

FIG. 10 is a vertical section taken on the line 1010 of FIG. 7, but showing the lock assembly mounted on the case; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary isometric view of the carrying strap.

As illustrated in the drawings, our carrying case comprises upper and lower shells 10 and 12 conveniently formed of sheet-metal and having a thin sheet of a decorative plastic material such as polyvinylchloride laminated onto their outer faces. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper shell 10 is drawn to provide an upper case wall 14 integrally connected to a peripherally extending side wall 15, and the lower shell 12 is likewise drawn to provide a lower case wall 18 integrally connected to a peripherally extending side wall 20. The stretches of the side walls 16 and 20 disposed along one side of the case are each provided with a pair of outwardly projecting feet 21 upon which the case rests when it is in its closed upright position.

A peripherally extending molding 22, conveniently in the form of an aluminum extrusion, is mounted on the side wall 20 of the lower shell 12. As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the molding 22 is provided with a pair of parallel jaws 24 having their adjacent faces 25 serrated and crimped over the edge of the shell side walls 20 to thus rigidly lock the molding 22 on the shell 12. A pair of spaced, outwardly projecting ribs 26 and 27 are formed on the molding 22 and define a peripherally extending recess or channel 28, the rib 26 extending peripherally around the molding 22 and the rib 27 extending around only a portion of the case periphery. The edge of the molding opposite the jaws 24 has an angulated shoulder 30 having peripheral extent equal to that of the rib 27.

The upper shell 10 is likewise provided with a sectioned peripherally extending molding conveniently formed as a pair of aluminum extrusions. The molding section 32 has a pair of jaws 34 provided with serrated inner faces 35 crimped over the edge of the upper shell side walls 16. The edge of the molding section 32 opposite the jaws 34 has an angulated shoulder 37 adapted to mate with the shoulder 39 on the molding 22 when the shells 10 and 12 are in their closed position to thus hold said shells in alignment. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the molding section 32 terminates along the side of the case provided with the feet 21, and a second molding section 36 is mounted on the upper shell between the spaced ends of the section 32 as by serrated jaws 39. An outwardly projecting rib 38 is formed on the molding section 36 and is cisposed in alignment with, and constitutes a continuation of, the rib 27 when the shells are in a closed position. An open ended slot 41 extends inwardly from one side of the rib 38 for the reception of a hinge pintle 40 which is fixedly mounted in said rib as by crimping the slot-forming portions of said rib over said pintle. The pintle 40 projects outwardly from the ends of the rib 3S and is pivotally received in openings formed in the ends of the rib 27 to thus provide a pivotal interconnection between the upper and lower shells 10 and 12. The rib 38- also acts in combination with the rib 26 on the molding 22 to form the channel 28 within the extent of the molding section 36.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, a pair of generally U- shaped brackts 44 are mounted in the channel 28 on the wall of the case opposite the feet 21. Each of the brackets 44 comprises a web 46 in parallel spaced relation to the channel 28, and a pair of downturned legs 48 received in openings formed in the molding 22 and turned thereunder to thus lock said bracket on the molding. A generally U-shaped bracket 50 is mounted in the channel 28 on the opposed case face and comprises a web 52 rigidly mounted on the inner face of the molding 22 as by a rivet 53. A pair of fingers 54 are integrally formed on the ends of the web 52 and project through the molding 22 with their outer ends turned inwardly toward each other. Thus, the pair of brackets 44 and the bracket 59 act in combination with the channel 23 formed in the molding 22 for holding a carrying strap 58 in its desired positions of adjustment on the case. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the strap 53 has a lateral extent corresponding to the lateral extent of the channel 28 so that said strap is carried in said channel in a fixed lateral position on the case. The intermediate portion and the ends of the strap 58 are thickened to give them a greater cross-sectional area than the other stretches of said strap. The thickened intermediate stretch of the strap constitutes a handle portion 60 interposed between the brackets 44 when the strap 58 is in its retracted position as shown in full lines in FIG. 1, and the thickened ends of the strap constitute stops 62 which abut and fail to pass under the bracekts 44 when the strap is in its extended shoulder strap position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

To place the strap 58 in its retracted position, in which the handle portion 60 serves as a hand grip, the strap is slid under the brackets 4-4 in the channel 28 until the ends of said handle portion abut the brackets. In this position the stops 62 will be disposed adjacent the brackets 50, and the fingers 54 on said bracket may be received in openings 63 formed in the strap adjacent the stops 62 for releasably retaining the stop and thus the entire strap in its retracted position. The handle portion 69 is thus prevented from moving relative to the case by the ends of the strap being retained on the bracket 59 and by the ends of said handle portion abutting the brackets 44. To move the strap to its extended shoulder carrying position, the openings 63 are disengaged from the bracket fingers 54, and the strap is slid under the brackets 44 until the stops 62 abut said brackets 44. In this extended position, the handle portion 60 may be placed over a persons shoulder and the strap 58 thus serves as a shoulder carrying strap. Desirably, the distance around the channel 28 from the brackets 44 to the bracket 50 is slightly greater than the distance between the strap stops 62 and handle portion 60 so that with the strap being formed from a material having a relatively small degree of inherent resiliency, such as plastic, leather, or the like, the strap stretches between said handle portion and the stops will have to be stressed in order for the bracket fingers 54 to be received in the openings 63. In this manner, the retention of the strap 58 in the channel 28 is assured. As shown in FIG. 2, the feet 21 project downwardly below the case shells to a greater extent than the bracket 50 and the strap stops 63 so that the said bracket and stops do not prevent the case from resting in an upright position on said feet.

The latch assembly for our case is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and is carried within an outer housing 65. A latch retainer 68 is carried within the housing 65, and comprises an outwardly presented face 70 having forwardly and rearwardly projecting tabs 72 at its upper and lower ends, and ears 74 at each of its lateral ends projecting through openings in the molding 22 and bent over the rear face of said molding to mount the retainer 68 thereon. The housing 65 has a plurality of ears 66 bent around the tabs 72 on the latch retainer 68 for thus mounting said outer housing on the latch retainer 68. A pair of opposed latches 75 projecting outwardly through slots in the side walls of the latch housing are slidably carried between the adjacent faces of the latch housing 65 and the latch retainer 68, and between the latch retainer tabs 72. Each of the latches 75 is provided with a bead 76 bearing against the outer wall of the housing 65 so that the inwardly presented faces of said latches are disposed in sliding engagement with the retainer face 70. A finger 78 projects inwardly from each of the latches 75 through a slot in the molding 22 for engagement with a keeper 80 mounted in a recess 81 formed in the upper shell side wall 16. The keeper 80 comprises a base plate 82 having a pair of fingers 84 normal thereto received in openings formed in the recess 81, said fingers being bent back against said recess to thus lock the keeper 80 on the inner face of the lower shell. The inner jaw 34 on the molding section 32 is interrupted in the area of said recess 81. The plate 82 has a pair of laterally disposed hooked projections 86 extending downwardly toward the lower shell 12 and disposed in alignment with the locking fingers 7 8 of the latches 75. Thus, when the latches 75 are in their locked position, each of the locking fingers 78 will be received in one of the hooked projections 86 of the keeper 80 to thus lock the upper and lower shells 1t and 12 in closed position. The locking figures 78 are releasably retained in the projections 86 by a compression spring 88 having its ends received in opposed slots 90 formed in the adjacent faces of the pair of latches 75. As shown, the latch retainer 68 is provided with a transversely extending bead 92 adapted to accommodate the spring 88.

It is contemplated that our carrying case may be used for housing specific items which are mounted in recessed seats in a liner carried within the case, or it may be desired to provide liners lining the inner walls of the case shells 10 and 12 to enhance their appearance. To this end, a liner 94- may be mounted in either or both of the shells 10 and 12. As shown in FIG. 4, we provide one such liner 94 in the shell 12. Such a liner corresponds in size and shape to the inner walls of the shell 12, and is disposed in abutting engagement with the inner Walls of said shell prior to mounting the molding 22 thereon. In this manner, the end face of the inwardly presented jaw 24 on the molding 22 abuts the adjacent face of the liner 94 and thus retains said liner within the lower shell 12. It is to be understood, of course, that a similar liner may be interposed within the upper shell 10 and be retained therein by the inner jaws 34 and 35 on the moldings 32 and 36.

We claim as our invention:

1. A carrying case, comprising a pair of opposed sheetmetal shells having peripherally extending side walls, a pair of peripherally extending moldings mounted on the side walls of said shells, one of said moldings forming around each of the case side walls a recessed channel in which an elongated unitary carrying strap is adjustably carried, means hingedly interconnecting said moldings at the edge of said channel along one side of said case for opening and closing said case, said strap having thickened portions at each of its ends and a thickened handle portion intermediate its ends, a pair of brackets mounted on one of said moldings along one case side wall and having webs overlying said channel in spaced relation thereto, the thicknesses of said handle portion and ends of said strap being greater than the spacing between said Webs and the channel lying thereunder, fastening means mounted on said one molding along the central portion of the case wall opposite said pair of brackets for releasably fastening the ends of said strap in said channel along said means hingedly interconnecting said moldings to releasably retain said strap in a retracted hand grip position in which said handle portion is retained adjacent said ease and whereby upon release of said fastening means the portions of the strap intermediate said handle and end portions may he slid under said pair of brackets to move said strap to an extended shoulder strap position in which said handle portion is remotely disposed from the ease and said thickened strap ends bear against said pair of brackets, and means releasably locking the shells in a closed position.

2. A carrying case as set forth in claim 1 in which the length of said channel from each of said brackets to said fastening means is slightly longer than the distance from the end portions of said strap to the ends of said handle portion, and the stretches of the strap between said handle and end portions are in a stressed state when said strap is in its retracted position.

3. A carrying case as set forth in claim 1 with the addition that a plurality of feet are integrally formed in the shells and project outwardly from the side walls of said shells on the side of the case upon which said fastening means are mounted, said feet projecting outwardly beyond the extent of said fastening means and the thickened end portions of said strap.

4. A carrying case, comprising a pair of opposed sheetmetal shells having peripherally extending side walls, a pair of peripherally extending moldings mounted on the side walls of said shells, the adjacent edges of said moldings having mating shoulders for holding the shells in alignment when the case is in closed position, each of said moldings having a pair of jaws crimped over the side walls of its respective shell for mounting the molding thereon, one of said moldings having a pair of outwardly projecting ribs one of which extends peripherally around the case and the other of which extends only partially around said case, the other of said moldings having a section provided with an outwardly projecting rib interposed between the ends of said other rib in alignment therewith and pivotally connected thereto to form hinge means for opening and closing the case, the ribs on said one molding within the extent of the pair of ribs on said one molding and the rib on said other molding and said other rib on said one molding within the extent of said rib on said other molding forming a continuous recessed channel extending around the case side Walls, an elongated carrying strap adjustably carried in said channel, and means on said one of said moldings for releasably locking said strap around the case in a retracted hand grip position and retaining said strap on the case in an extended shoulder strap position.

5. A carrying case as set forth in claim 4 in which said jaws extend over the edges of said shells to overlie the inner and outer faces of the shell side walls, and at least one of said shells is provided with an insert conforming to the shape of and abutting the inner faces of said shell, the peripheral edges of said insert abutting the end of the molding jaw overlying the inner face of the shell side Wall for retaining said insert therein.

6. A carrying case as set forth in claim 4 in which said rib on the section of said other of said moldings has an elongated hinge pintle mounted therein and projecting outwardly from the ends thereof for pivotal reception in openings formed in the ends or said other rib on said one of said moldings, the rib on said section having a pintle-receiving slot formed therein and bindingly crimped around said pintle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 378,016 Morrow Feb. 14, 1888 655,150 Goerk July 31, 1900 2,017,445 Peterson Oct. 15, 1935 2,392,926 Kelly Jan. 15, 1946 2,745,524 Plotkin May 15, 1956 2,768,720 Nelson Oct. 30, 1956 2,950,793 AXtell Aug. 30, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 494,731 Belgium Apr. 15, 1950 437,567 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1935 

1. A CARRYING CASE, COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SHEETMETAL SHELLS HAVING PERIPHERALLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS, A PAIR OF PERIPHERALLY EXTENDING MOLDINGS MOUNTED ON THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID SHELLS, ONE OF SAID MOLDINGS FORMING AROUND EACH OF THE CASE SIDE WALLS A RECESSED CHANNEL IN WHICH AN ELONGATED UNITARY CARRYING STRAP IS ADJUSTABLY CARRIED, MEANS HINGEDLY INTERCONNECTING SAID MOLDINGS AT THE EDGE OF SAID CHANNEL ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID CASE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID CASE, SAID STRAP HAVING THICKENED PORTIONS AT EACH OF ITS ENDS AND A THICKENED HANDLE PORTION INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, A PAIR OF BRACKETS MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID MOLDINGS ALONG ONE CASE SIDE WALL AND HAVING WEBS OVERLYING SAID CHANNEL IN SPACED RELATION THERETO, THE THICKNESSES OF SAID HANDLE PORTION AND ENDS OF SAID STRAP BEING GREATER THAN THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID WEBS AND THE CHANNEL LYING THEREUNDER, FASTENING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID ONE MOLDING ALONG THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE CASE WALL OPPOSITE SAID PAIR OF BRACKETS FOR RELEASABLY FASTENING THE ENDS OF SAID STRAP IN SAID CHANNEL ALONG SAID MEANS HINGEDLY INTERCONNECTING SAID MOLDINGS TO RELEASABLY RETAIN SAID STRAP IN A RETRACTED HAND GRIP POSITION IN WHICH SAID HANDLE PORTION IS RETAINED ADJACENT SAID CASE AND WHEREBY UPON RELEASE OF SAID FASTENING MEANS THE PORTIONS OF THE STRAP INTERMEDIATE SAID HANDLE AND END PORTIONS MAY BE SLID UNDER SAID PAIR OF BRACKETS TO MOVE SAID STRAP TO AN EXTENDED SHOULDER STRAP POSITION IN WHICH SAID HANDLE PORTION IS REMOTELY DISPOSED FROM THE CASE AND SAID THICKENED STRAP ENDS BEAR AGAINST SAID PAIR OF BRACKETS, AND MEANS RELEASABLY LOCKING THE SHELLS IN A CLOSED POSITION. 